Grandparent Name Generator

Grandparent names are one of the few name choices most people get to make for themselves. Some families inherit them (whatever Grandma was called, Mom becomes), some let the first grandchild's babble decide (Gigi, Bumpa, Mimi and Pop-Pop all started as toddler attempts at longer words), and a growing number of new grandparents simply announce what they want to be called before the baby arrives. Whichever route you take, the two sides of a family usually end up with contrasting names so a child never has to say 'Grandma Smith' and 'Grandma Jones'.

Regional and cultural pairs make up the biggest and most personal group. In the American South you hear Meemaw and Papaw or Mamaw and Pawpaw; in the Mid-Atlantic, Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop; in Britain, Nan and Grandad. Heritage languages supply matched sets: Oma and Opa (German, Dutch), Nonna and Nonno (Italian), Abuela and Abuelo or Lita and Lito (Spanish), Bubbe and Zayde (Yiddish), Yiayia and Papou (Greek), Babcia and Dziadek (Polish), Lola and Lolo (Filipino), Halmeoni and Harabeoji (Korean), Nainai and Yeye (Mandarin). Scandinavian and South Asian families go a step further and name the grandparent by lineage: Swedish Mormor is mother's mother and Farfar is father's father, and Hindi Nani and Dadi make the same distinction.

The list also includes the newer, younger-sounding options (Glamma, Gigi, Grandude, G-Ma, Coach, Honey) that many first-time grandparents in their fifties now prefer, along with title-plus-name combos like Papa Joe and Nana Lou for families that already have a Grandma or Grandpa on the other side.